Windhoek: The Ministry of Health and Social Services (MoHSS) has spent over N$10 million on settling medical negligence claims over the past five financial years.

According to Namibia Press Agency, medical negligence claims can arise when patients or their families allege that harm was caused by inadequate treatment, delayed care, misdiagnosis, surgical errors, or other failures in the provision of healthcare services. Information shared with Nampa recently by the ministry's spokesperson, Walters Kamaya, states that in the last five years, the ministry has spent close to N$14 million in settling lawsuits, with N$10 million specifically spent on medical negligence claims.

Kamaya revealed that the ministry's legal team has dealt with 45 lawsuits over the five-year period. The ministry is currently facing 16 pending medical negligence cases, and the largest settlement paid by the ministry over the period was N$5 million in a medical negligence case.

He added that the ministry has implemented measures aimed at reducing the number of medical negligence claims. 'These include strengthening clinical governance, providing continuous professional development for healthcare workers, and improving supervision and performance management,' he said.